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DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Women’s groups in Davao City will hold a rally on International Women’s Day March 8 raising issues of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and continuing corruption in government that has burned the Filipino women.

Gabriela Women’s Party-list Southern Mindanao announced their agenda  in a press conference Wednesday,  where they demand “full accountability for systemic corruption” in the Marcos Jr. administration.

Gabriela Party-list Southern Mindanao spokesperson Rose Hayahay clarified that their call for impeachment is not just limited to the vice president, as they had filed an impeachment complaint against President Marcos Jr. last January, which was vetoed by the majority of Marcos allies in the House of Representatives.

In a unified statement, Gabriela Party-list, Gabriela Youth Davao, Sabokahan Women IP, pointed out the reports from the Commission on Audit that flag disallowed and misused funds amounting to billions of pesos.

“Sara exploited women”

But the groups focus on Vice President Duterte, as two impeachment complaints filed at the House of Representatives have been ruled as sufficient in substance by the House Committee on Justice.
 

The complaints raised issues of “gross abuse of discretionary powers” over the P612.5 million confidential funds given to her two offices, the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, from mid-2022 to 2023.

When asked how the women’s group view Sara Duterte who is the second woman elected to the vice presidency, Gabriela Youth Davao spokesperson Alyssa Ancheta said, “the feminist movement and women in general do not support Sara for her corruption in government.”
 

“She has been flagged (by COA) for the anomalies in her budget, the confidential and intelligence funds, the other budgetary issues in the OVP and DepEd but up to now she refuses to address this.  She has no shame to expect women, especially the poor, to support her,” the youth leader added.

Hayahay added that their group sees the possibility of Duterte getting impeached over her lack of accountability.

Ancheta urged Dabawenyos to hold Duterte and Marcos Jr accountable on corruption and failure to manage the economy, as soaring prices, precarious employment, and shrinking social services continuously affect women and all Filipino people.

Strike down VAT

The groups also demand the Marcos Jr. administration to remove the 12% value-added tax on essential goods, as they noted inflation has peaked at 8.7% in 2023, and women and mothers have stretched their families’ meager budget.

This week, the country is bracing for soaring oil prices amidst the US-Iran war which is projected to stretch for weeks.(davaotoday.com)